Malls deserted as shoppers take a break

Even multiplexes and gaming zones - the favourite chill out zones of Bhopalis - said no to customers with Rs 500 and Rs 1000 notes.Bhopal: In the aftermath of withdrawal of high-end currency notes, shoppers in Bhopal on Thursday gave mall-hopping a break, as none of the commercial establishments were accepting Rs 500 and Rs 1000 currency notes.One of the biggest malls in the state capital, DB City Mall, which is usually thronged by hundreds every day, witnessed a steep decline in number of visitors.

The hotspots wore a deserted look as currency crisis took away all the charm and glitter with it. Even multiplexes and gaming zones - the favourite chill out zones of Bhopalis - said no to customers with Rs 500 and Rs 1000 notes.

"We are not accepting demonetised notes following the announcement by Prime Minister Narendra Modi with effect from November 9," read a notice pasted outside Fun Cinema. The notice left Aamir Qureshi and his friends dejected, as they had to return without watching movie. Likewise, Jyoti Complex, Sangam Cinema and other small cinemas also declined to accept demonetised notes.

Shafiq Ali, shift manager at KFC, said they usually receive more than 500 customers a day, but there was a sharp decline on Thursday with only about 100 customers turning up. "Most of our customers stayed away since we notified them that we are not accepting notes of Rs 500 and Rs 1000," he told TOI. Aura Mall manager Sanjay Gupta said not a single shop in the mall was accepting high-end currency notes, as a result of which very few people were visiting the mall, which otherwise remains crowded. "Today the mall looked like as it was yet to open to public," he said.

"We love to visit malls every week to eat out , but today we decided to go for window shopping due to currency woes," said a group roaming inside Ashima Mall.